The Nature of Plastics

"All plastic begins in a factory. That much we know. But where it goes next remains poorly understood. Only 1 percent of the plastic released into the marine environment is accounted for, found on the surface and in the intestines of aquatic animals. The rest is a little harder to measure. Some presumably washes back ashore. An untold amount settles, sunk by the weight of its new passengers. (One study found four times more plastic fibers in the sediment of the deep-sea floor than on the surface of the ocean.)" 

Meera Subramaniam has spent three decades focused on environmental issues. The following essay is part of a series exploring the effects of the petrochemical industry on life, economics, and democracy.

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